the influencer is you

#BeatCancer Took Over Twitter

Big props to James Andrews and his team at EVERYWHERE. They did it. They created a social movement supporting cancer research. For each status update, Tweet or blog post containing the #beatcancer hashtag, they got Miller and eBay to pony up 1 cent to cancer research. Taking advantage of BlogWorld and some best practices in social media marketing, they sparked a movement and zipped up to the top trending topic in Twitter. Even Ashton Kutcher, Perez Hilton and Kim Kardashian helped spread the word.

Some great lessons:

• Line up w/ a cause - great job Ebay / Miller!
• Give them something to talk about  - trying to set a Guinness Book World Record “for the distribution of the largest mass message through social media” in a 24 hour period
• Influence the influencers - from bloggers to some of the most followed celebrities on Twitter
• Track the metrics - As of four hours ago, several hundred thousand posts were made and over 400K results were indexed by Google

 
 

 

Additional coverage:

Mashable

Everything PR

How Social Media Can Create A Better Duran Duran Experience

I went to see Duran Duran last week at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA.  After finding my seat with my wife on my left and a beer in my hand, I started to think about all the ways that the event industry could use social tools to enhance the concert going experience. I went to see Duran Duran in Oakland in 1984 and don't remember much beyond how cool it was seeing a band that created one of the first pop videos with "Girls On Film."

Today it's different.

Aside from the press, there are Tweets, blogposts, digital pictures and all the other fragmented digital memories swirling around cyberspace. 

The problem is the fragmentation.

After changing my status on Facebook and snapping a few pictures with my iPhone, I started to envision a place where I could share my pictures, memories and "shared experience" with other concert goers. I think LiveNation should build a site for each experience where they could teach concert goers to post:

• pictures
• song-lists
• memories
• details about the venue
• memories from the songs (come on...i'll bet you have vivid memories from songs like "Save A Prayer" or "Hungry Like A Wolf")
• others you attended the event with
• Twitter integration
• Community tools with profiles for the biggest fans
• commerce integration (iTunes, ticketing, merchandise, Amazon)
• etc.

For distribution they could print the URL on the ticket and integrate all of the content into their website, online marketing efforts and actual show experience.

Collectively, these sites would not only extend the concert experience to people that couldn't make the show, but it would archive memories that would otherwise fade away forever.

Sadly, Duran Duran only has 7,000+ followers on Twitter.

Sound Of Music - Central Station Antwerp

Check out this video. If you are in the online advertising business this can ONLY spark some amazingly creative ways to integrate a brand. If you are a fan of Sound Of Music or have kids, turn up the volume!